The demand for Food in South Africa

Food consumption is an important issue in South Africa, not only in its relation to poverty and deprivation, but also given the importance of nutrition in allowing HIV/AIDS sufferers to lead extended, productive lives. With the pressing need to increase food security and the enormity of the epidemic, understanding the demand for food has become a vital task. It is important that the determinants of the demand for food are understood, so that responses of household food consumption to changes in the prices of foodstuffs, prices of other commodities, and total expenditure can be anticipated. There is, however, surprisingly little economic research on this topic. This paper provides an empirical analysis of the demand for food in South Africa for the years 1970 to 2002. It uses two modelling approaches, a general dynamic log-linear demand equation and a dynamic version of the almost ideal demand system to provide estimates of the short- and long-run price and expenditure demand elasticities.

SDF-1 and PDGF enhance [alpha]v[beta]5-mediated ERK activation and adhesion-independent growth of human pre-B cell lines

CD23 acts through the [alpha]v[beta]5 integrin to promote growth of human pre-B cell lines in an adhesion-independent manner. [alpha]v[beta]5 is expressed on normal B-cell precursors in the bone marrow. Soluble CD23 (sCD23), short CD23-derived peptides containing the arg-lys-cys (RKC) motif recognized by [alpha]v[beta]5 and anti-[alpha]v[beta]5 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) all sustain growth of pre-B cell lines. The chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) regulates key processes during B-cell development. SDF-1 enhanced the growth-sustaining effect driven by ligation of [alpha]v[beta]5 with anti-[alpha]v[beta]5 MAb 15F-11, sCD23 or CD23-derived RKC-containing peptides. This effect was restricted to B-cell precursors and was specific to SDF-1. The enhancement in growth was associated with the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and both these responses were attenuated by the MEK inhibitor U0126. Finally, platelet-derived growth factor also enhanced both [alpha]v[beta]5-mediated cell growth and ERK activation. The data suggest that adhesion-independent growth-promoting signals delivered to B-cell precursors through the [alpha]v[beta]5 integrin can be modulated by cross-talk with receptors linked to both G-protein and tyrosine kinase-coupled signalling pathways

ICIF response to the National Infrastructure Commission: Consultation (cm 9182)

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The Challenge of Managing Modern Complex Projects

This paper presents a review of the most significant contributions on the topic of project complexity. It sets this review within the context of the development of project management as a topic receiving increased attention from both academe and practitioners. Following this review, a proposed framework of project complexity is presented alongside a more granular componentry of project complexity derived from work published by the UK's National Audit Office. The proposed framework is then tested via application to a live case study that is proffered as being a case of project complexity. The purpose of the paper is to present a coherent argument for what can be understood to make a project complex with the paper being the first phase in a research project that seeks to understand what expert project practitioners see as making projects complex and how these experts approach the management of such projects

Piezoelectric-based apparatus for strain tuning

We report the design and construction of piezoelectric-based apparatus for applying continuously tuneable compressive and tensile strains to test samples. It can be used across a wide temperature range, including cryogenic temperatures. The achievable strain is large, so far up to 0.23% at cryogenic temperatures. The apparatus is compact and compatible with a wide variety of experimental probes. In addition, we present a method for mounting high-aspect-ratio samples in order to achieve high strain homogeneity.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Self-assembly of minimal peptoid sequences

Peptoids are biofunctional N-substituted glycine peptidomimics. Their self-assembly is of fundamental interest because they demonstrate alternatives to conventional peptide structures based on backbone chirality and beta-sheet hydrogen bonding. The search for self-assembling, water-soluble “minimal” sequences, be they peptide or peptidomimic, is a further challenge. Such sequences are highly desired for their compatibility with biomacromolecules and convenient synthesis for broader application. We report the self-assembly of a set of trimeric, water-soluble α-peptoids that exhibit a relatively low critical aggregation concentration (CAC ∼ 0.3 wt %). Cryo-EM and angle-resolved DLS show different sequence-dependent morphologies, namely uniform ca. 6 nm wide nanofibers, sheets, and clusters of globular assemblies. Absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopies indicate unique phenyl environments for π-interactions in the highly ordered nanofibers. Assembly of our peptoids takes place when the sequences are fully ionized, representing a departure from superficially similar amyloid-type hydrogen-bonded peptide nanostructures and expanding the horizons of assembly for sequence-specific bio- and biomimetic macromolecules

Inventaire national des interventions des commissions scholaires pout soutenir le bien-être des élèves LGBTQ: Rapport Final

L’Inventaire national a été entrepris afin d’élaborer un tableau détaillé des formes et de l’étendue des interventions de système scolaire dans le but de soutenir le bien-être des élèves homosexuels et lesbiens, bisexuels, transgenres, bispirituels, altersexuels et en questionnement (LGBTQ) dans les commissions scolaires dans tout le pays. L’étude visait aussi à mieux comprendre la façon dont les autorités des conseils scolaires associent certaines interventions à certains résultats, afin que nous puissions choisir les rapports intervention/résultat qu’il serait important de tester dans les autres phases du plus grand projet. Ces phases impliquent une évaluation systématique des résultats des interventions grâce aux analyses des données de santé de la population disponible pour les commissions ou régions où les mesures décrites ont été largement mises en oeuvre, et par des évaluations des interventions sur le terrain et par des études de cas.Cette étude a été financée par la bourse nº MOP119472 des Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada : Institut de la santé des femmes et des hommes, et Institut de la santé publique et des populations (Elizabeth Saewyc, chercheuse principale)